BJP alleges WB police 'threatened' voters during Mamata's nomination rally; writes to EC

Ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections, the BJP has once again written to the Chief Electoral Officer, this time, complaining against the police conduct during TMC Chief Mamata Banerjee's visit to Nandigram to file her nomination. 

According to the BJP, they had received information that police personnel, who accompanied her in plain clothes, allegedly threatened the voters at the behest of the ruling dispensation. "This is a serious violation, of the blatant use of government machinery by the party in power to influence votes," the letter said.

The saffron party also claimed that police personnel in the state had been forced to act as 'party cadre of the TMC' and were also seen 'visiting local clubs to gather support and solicit votes in favor of the party in power.' 

"It is also learned that DM and SPs are holding meetings in police stations and in the company of TMC party workers. Senior police officials Vivek Sahai and Gyanwant Singh are using their seniority to disturb and vitiate the atmosphere of free and fair elections," BJP's Swapan Dasgupta said in the letter. 

Requesting the EC to take cognizance of the incident, the BJP demanded the immediate suspension of the police officials who had accompanied Mamata. "Also the full expenditure incurred on the convoy used by Ms Mamata Banerjee from the state exchequer must also be added to the expenditure account of the candidate," the letter read. 

EC replaces top WB cop

Earlier a BJP delegation had met EC to raise concerns of 'political violence' in the state. There the party had also alleged 'discrepancies' in the postal ballots adding that police officials were trying to tamper with the senior citizen ballots.

Shortly after, the Election Commission had replaced the West Bengal top cop in-charge of Law and Order in the state. Second in command to the Director-General of Police, Jawed Shamim, Additional Director-General (Law & Order) was replaced by Jag Mohan who was serving as the Director-General (Fire Services). 

The TMC had in turn attacked Deputy Election Commissioner Sudeep Jain who is in-charge of the West Bengal Assembly polls saying that they had 'no confidence in him.' It had also accused him of filing a 'biased report' after the vandalization of Vidyasagar College and a statue of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar during a rally led by former BJP president Amit Shah in the lead-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Elections to the 294 seats in West Bengal will be held in 8 phases across 1,01,916 polling stations between March 27 to April 29 with the counting of votes on May 2.